Question:
what if you are in highest gear and need to stop emmidiately (on a motorcycle)?
i have run into this situation a few times. i‘m riding a dirt bike / motorcycle, i‘m going really fast, in highest gear, but needed to stop really fastdo i just slam on the breaks while staying in highest gear? then after i am stopped, switch the gear into 1st/neutral? this is what i have been doing (is this healthy for the bike?)or do i just hold in the clutch in and downgear really fast while i am stopping? (is this what im supposed to do?)i guess i dont do that because it‘s a little hard (you need to be doing 3 things at once!)so am i messing up my bike by doing this?
Answer:
I would advise against engine braking, as it can cause dmg to the trans if not done just right. Besides, it won't slow you down fast enough if it is an emergency as well as brakes can. Pull in and keep the clutch in and hit the brakes, but you'll need to learn the balance of your particular bike's brakes. Be particularly careful of hitting the rear wheel brake too hard, as it is much more prone to locking up and causing your rear to fishtail which gets very dangerous if it catches traction again while off to the side. If you do come to a complete stop while still in high gear it will be difficult and may take some clutch work to get it all the way back down to 1st/N. So as someone said before, if you need to quickly move again as may be the case since you may be stopping quickly in traffic and need to get out of cars behind you. The best would be trying to quickly downshift as you brake, but if you can't, braking is still more important. If you are new to riding, there should be no reason for you to be going very fast in high gear. I always hate doing damage estimates for the insurance companies when a new rider went too fast hotshotting it around and got killed/crippled for life, and I get several of those per month. So don't think it couldn't be you. Even experienced riders shouldn't ride that fast unless on a closed track in full riding gear where conditions will be more ideal with low traffic of only motorcycles. I have lost a few friends who decided to run around unsafely off the track, one who was only going 35 in a residencial and hit a curb, throwing him head first into a hydrant. So remember, safety is a higher priority that worrying about high speed manuvers for the thrill.
I would advise against engine braking, as it can cause dmg to the trans if not done just right. Besides, it won't slow you down fast enough if it is an emergency as well as brakes can. Pull in and keep the clutch in and hit the brakes, but you'll need to learn the balance of your particular bike's brakes. Be particularly careful of hitting the rear wheel brake too hard, as it is much more prone to locking up and causing your rear to fishtail which gets very dangerous if it catches traction again while off to the side. If you do come to a complete stop while still in high gear it will be difficult and may take some clutch work to get it all the way back down to 1st/N. So as someone said before, if you need to quickly move again as may be the case since you may be stopping quickly in traffic and need to get out of cars behind you. The best would be trying to quickly downshift as you brake, but if you can't, braking is still more important. If you are new to riding, there should be no reason for you to be going very fast in high gear. I always hate doing damage estimates for the insurance companies when a new rider went too fast hotshotting it around and got killed/crippled for life, and I get several of those per month. So don't think it couldn't be you. Even experienced riders shouldn't ride that fast unless on a closed track in full riding gear where conditions will be more ideal with low traffic of only motorcycles. I have lost a few friends who decided to run around unsafely off the track, one who was only going 35 in a residencial and hit a curb, throwing him head first into a hydrant. So remember, safety is a higher priority that worrying about high speed manuvers for the thrill.
It won’t hurt the bike to downshift after you’ve stopped. However you should not run into that situation ever (or almost never) if you keep your speed down until skill level has increased. We used to say at MSF school, ride within the limits of the bike, your skills and the environment. Tone it down a bit until you can downshift and brake, even during a quick stop. If you’re riding so fast that emergency stops are required, you’re riding too fast for the environment. Finally you’ve been lucky so far, the motorcycle stopped in time, but maybe not next time. Take a course to learn how to ride; in the US it is given by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF). If you can’t find a course near you, get a video at least before you have a bad crash because you don’t have the knowledge and skills to safely ride your bike.
Downshifting as you stop is the way to go. But if you have a panic stop and don't have time, just clutch it and brake. The only harm you can do is trying to force a downshift from a higher gear all the way to first while stopped. You can bend the shifting forks in the trans doing that. That's a costly fix. Leave it in whatever gear you wind up in and try to downshift once you start moving. A little heel-toe action to get moving will help.
Downshifting as you stop is the way to go. But if you have a panic stop and don't have time, just clutch it and brake. The only harm you can do is trying to force a downshift from a higher gear all the way to first while stopped. You can bend the shifting forks in the trans doing that. That's a costly fix. Leave it in whatever gear you wind up in and try to downshift once you start moving. A little heel-toe action to get moving will help.
It won’t hurt the bike to downshift after you’ve stopped. However you should not run into that situation ever (or almost never) if you keep your speed down until skill level has increased. We used to say at MSF school, ride within the limits of the bike, your skills and the environment. Tone it down a bit until you can downshift and brake, even during a quick stop. If you’re riding so fast that emergency stops are required, you’re riding too fast for the environment. Finally you’ve been lucky so far, the motorcycle stopped in time, but maybe not next time. Take a course to learn how to ride; in the US it is given by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF). If you can’t find a course near you, get a video at least before you have a bad crash because you don’t have the knowledge and skills to safely ride your bike.
